Biology Programs

The La Sierra Advantage

Learn from professors who are experts in their fields. They contribute to knowledge and don’t just teach it from a book.

Have opportunities to do hands-on research with professors as an undergraduate. Some students even publish papers in professional journals.

Interact with professors who care about your spiritual well-being as well as your academic growth.

Participate in clubs sponsored or supported by biology faculty.

Study in the state-of-the-art Price Science Complex, where faculty members each have their own research labs—one with 10,000 specimens!

Why Study Biology?

Biologists study all living things, from plants and mammals to microscopic single-cell organisms. They help us do vital things such as fight disease, protect the environment, conserve nature, and increase the world’s production of food. A wide variety of careers are open to biology graduates. Many of those who study biology at La Sierra University go on to health-related careers in medicine, dentistry, nursing, veterinary medicine, or physical therapy. Others go into teaching, forest or park service, fish and wildlife management, biomedical sales, environmental safety, research, or medical technology. Classrooms are not the only locations in which students learn at La Sierra. Our professors are active in research and involve students as well. Recent student research has investigated a newly discovered species of gecko, the effects of alternating electric current on brain tumor cells, and the DNA of 3,000-year-old human bones. Students may also have an opportunity to join a professor in field research or to study during the summer at the Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory.

We offer the following:

Bachelor of Science

Minors

“I was told that La Sierra University had a prestigious biology department, and the four years of my experience there proved that to be true. I was able to go to Malaysia on two expeditions. This research gave me the opportunity to personally publish a paper in Zootaxa describing a new species. I will be forever indebted to La Sierra University’s biology department.”

Biology Undergraduate Programs

Biology Bachelor of Science

Students with the biological science emphasis will have the opportunity to gain more breadth in the field of biology as they take classes like bioinformatics and genomics, systematic botany, animal behavior, or biology of marine invertebrates. Graduates from this emphasis usually prepare to go into doctoral programs, field work or field studies. The biomedical science emphasis includes classes like histology, virology, immunology, and human gross anatomy which provide an in-depth program for students interested in going into dentistry, medicine, and other pre-professional programs.

The biomathematics emphasis includes classes in discrete mathematics, differential equations, and vector calculus with classes in cellular and molecular biology and genetics. Biomathetmatical modeling and computer science are also components of the program. Graduates in Biomathematics may be employed as statisticians, scientific programmers, or in areas of bio-science where training in quantitative techniques is needed. The major in biomathematics is a joint program with the department of biology. It is an ideal major for students who have a strong interest in math and who plan to go to professional school in a health science field such as medicine, dentistry, or biostatistics. For more information, contact Mathematics Department.

Fast Facts Biology Major Program

Fast Facts Biomathematics Major Program

The biophysics background is unique in the approach it takes to studying biological problems from a physics point of view. Much of the technology used in the practice of medicine and dentistry can be better understood with a background in biophysics. Students spend at least one quarter as a physics lab assistant or physics tutor. For more information, contact Physics Department.

The Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience is housed within the department of psychology but is distinctly interdisciplinary. Required courses are taught by faculty in both psychology and biology departments. It emphasizes the biological correlates of behavior, and it is designed for students who plan to go on to postgraduate work or go into the professional application of the health sciences. The program trains students to think like neuroscientists, that is demonstrating the empirical habits, mastery of knowledge, and practical research skills that will make them competitive applicants for top graduate programs in neuroscience and applied fields such as medicine, pharmacy, and neuropsychology. For more information contact Psychology Department.

Fast Facts Biophysics Major Program

Fast Facts Neuroscience Program

Environmental Science: Physical Science Bachelor of Science

Environmental scientists and specialists use their knowledge of the natural sciences to protect the environment. They identify problems and find solutions that minimize hazards to the health of the environment and the population. A bachelor of science degree in environmental science prepares students for a variety of entry-level jobs in this field including field analysts, research assistants, and technicians in laboratories and offices. Additional experience and/or education may be required for advancement.

Fast Facts Environmental Science: Physical Science Program

Environmental Science: Natural Science Bachelor of Science

Environmental scientists and specialists use their knowledge of the natural sciences to protect the environment. They identify problems and find solutions that minimize hazards to the health of the environment and the population. A bachelor of science degree in Environmental Science prepares students for a variety of entry-level jobs in this field including field analysts, research assistants, and technicians in laboratories and offices. Additional experience and/or education may be required for advancement.

First-year students meet with their academic coach/advisor each week for their first two quarters. Then they are assigned an advisor from their major department who will help them choose the classes they need to complete their program.

A lot of learning takes place outside of the classroom. The Division of Student Life is headquarters for student government, activities, organizations, spiritual life, and much more to enhance your college experience.

Career Center

We want you to find a good job after you finish your degree at La Sierra. A new Career Center, located in the Zapara School of Business, is expected to open before the end of fall quarter.

All undergraduate students at La Sierra University participate in a comprehensive general education curriculum called University Studies, which is rooted in the concept of liberal education as a formative and transformative process. University Studies offers an integrated curriculum that:

stimulates the meaning-centered development of its students.

familiarizes students with the various academic disciplines.

exposes students to intercultural, international and inter-ethnic concerns.

encourages students to recognize the importance of developing a personal value system to distinguish between right and wrong.